


Three Sunrises Later

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Pet Sounds [3]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-02
Updated: 2012-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-20 02:52:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/580479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emily stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago but couldn’t stop believing that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Sunrises Later

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written in the universe where the BAU are house pets. I’m still trying to think of a name for this series but nothing has come to me yet. I’ll just keep writing.

Penelope stopped when she heard the sound the second time. What was that? It wasn’t quite the noise the humans made when they wanted you to come for dinner or to be cuddled. She didn’t think she’d ever heard it before…maybe she wasn’t hearing it now. She was surely too young to be hearing things. 

Maybe it was one of those bugs that buzzed around. Penelope hated bugs but she never killed them. It was wrong to kill things, even buzzing, annoying things. So she would catch them and tell them they better go back outside and leave her alone. Most of them listened but a few defied her. 

This might be one of them. She looked all around but didn’t see anything so she kept walking. But just a few steps in she heard the noise again. Penelope turned around, putting on her battle stance. Morgan would always laugh and call her adorable when she did that. There was nothing in the hallway; she was putting on a show for nothing.

“Who’s there?” she asked, getting nervous.

“Penelope? Penelope, psst, over here.”

She looked and saw the little black paw emerge from the partially opened linen closet. That was where the human lady kept fluffy sheets and towels and things. Penelope liked to lay on them but usually wasn’t allowed to lie on the towels. The sheets were OK if she was lying with one of the humans.

“Emily?”

“Keep your voice down!” the black cat hissed.

“Oh don’t worry, the humans can't hear us.” Penelope walked over to the closet. “They just hear some weird meow meow sound, or something like that. It’s the truth; JJ told me. Why are you hiding in the closet?”

“I think the humans are about to get rid of me. I need a plan.”

“Why do you think that? Things have been good here haven’t they?”

“They always start good and then they're putting you in the car and dropping you on the side of the road before driving away. I heard them talking and even though I didn’t understand all of it, I think they’re gonna dump me.”

“No,” Penelope shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”

“The world isn’t as sugarcoated as you think, Penelope.”

“But…they're so nice. What did you hear?”

“The human male said he was going to take me to the vet, I think. I don’t remember what the human female said but then the male said he had to. Then they were whispering and I couldn’t hear much else. It was like they knew I was listening.”

“What's the vet?” Penelope asked.

“I don't know.” Emily shrugged. “But I'm not going anywhere with them. I need you to help me plan an escape before they come for me. I was starting to like this neighborhood. Life was rough but I don’t want to start all over somewhere scary and strange. I might not have a home but familiar surroundings are better than nothing. I knew the home thing was too good to be true.”

“You can't just run away Emily.”

“What choice do I have? I'm not going to this vet place and letting something bad happen. Humans can be cruel…I've been through enough.”

Penelope hated her sadness. It seemed awful that people would mistreat a cat, especially one as cool as Emily. In the pound after the accident where she lost her mama, all the humans were so sweet to Penelope and when the humans who adopted her came they were the best. It was hard to leave her four brothers behind but she knew humans would come and give them good homes as well. 

She heard someone say that kittens always got adopted. Penelope didn’t know what a kitten was until Gideon told her; it was a little baby cat. Morgan told her that she was still a kitten but she wasn’t sure she believed him. Penelope had to be a grown up cat by now.

“Well the vet isn’t the same as the pound; I know what that is.” Penelope said. “I bet Gideon would know. He could tell us what the vet is.”

“Where is he?” Emily asked.

“He's probably napping in that kitty condo thing. He naps a lot because he’s old and stuff. We can go and ask him about the vet. He's the smartest cat in the whole wide world. He’s been around humans for a long time and knows the stuff they talk about. C'mon, lets go.”

“I can't leave the closet.” 

“Why not?”

“If the human sees me he might grab me and go. I'm not leaving here until the escape plan is in motion. Can you go and get Gideon for me?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. He doesn’t come upstairs a lot. He has this thing…his bones are old. I don’t know if he can climb the stairs.”

“Please see if he can try.” Emily practically pleaded. “I'm scared.”

She didn’t want to admit it. Weakness could be a downfall out there in the real world. But Emily knew that Penelope would never judge her. Though she had a bit of a cookie cutter view of the world, she was good people. Good people, Emily actually managed a smile when she thought of those worlds. 

Clyde used to say that. He would say someone was good people or a good egg to make her laugh. That was so long ago; Emily was sure Clyde must be dead now. That made her so sad. They kept each other alive more times than she could count but were separated and never found each other again. 

He told her once, on a dark, stormy night not unlike the one where she ended up here, that if they were ever separated they could always meet up in the center of Prague. Emily would laugh, not thinking Prague was a real place. But it was; it was a beautiful place. She knew she had to be a million billion miles away from Prague right now. Still, if she could escape here she would do everything in her power to get back there. Emily stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago but couldn’t stop believing that. Clyde was waiting for her there and they might be together again.

“OK, I'm gonna try to get him. You stay up here and I'm coming back no matter what, OK?”

“OK.” Emily nodded, going deeper into the closet. 

She couldn’t hide here forever so they had to do something. She didn’t want to trust these cats and surely not the dog but so far they’d been OK. She’d seen three sunrises here, which meant three days had passed. They fed her and let her sleep in a basket with warm blankets. The male human even pet her a little. 

Emily wasn’t usually about that but it seemed the least she could do for his kindness. The female human, whose belly was growing, seemed to pay her no real mind. She fed her once but didn’t talk to or around her much. That suited Emily just fine. Surely her life was busy and there was no space for another cat in it.

Penelope couldn’t find Gideon in the kitty condo so that was a bit of a concern. Then she remembered where he liked to go during sunshine time. She went out the doggie door and around to the side deck. Sure enough, Jason was laid out on the porch in a patch of sunshine. The way he laid made it look like he’d gone to kitty heaven. It scared Penelope the first few times she saw it but Morgan explained to her that Gideon was strange. He was alive, just call his name and he’d respond.

“Hey Gideon? Gideon, you haven’t gone to kitty heaven have you?”

“Yes Penelope, you're talking to my ghost right now.”

“You're playing right?” she laughed but it was nervous.

“I'm playing.” The old Russian Blue opened his eyes. 

He usually didn’t like being disturbed at naptime but such was life with a young cat around. Penelope usually maintained a respectable distance and when she didn’t she always found a way to make Gideon smile so it was OK. She was a sweet kid; he was glad she would have a good life here. His might be over soon; it had been long and eventful. The humans were trying to have more loving pets here so they wouldn’t miss him so much when his time came. Jason wasn’t jealous of that…he understood the circle of life.

“Emily needs your help but won't come out of the closet.” 

“What?” that made Gideon wake up. He stretched, hearing his old bones and muscle creak. Then he got into a relaxed laying position and looked at the tabby.

“She heard the humans talking and thinks they’re going to dump her on the side of the road. They wouldn’t do that, would they Gideon? I think she's been hurt before so she’s planning an escape before they can do it again. But I don’t think they would. We need your help cuz you understand a lot of the words they say and maybe she’s got it all wrong. Will you help?”

“I’ll help.” He nodded.

“But she won't come out of the closet. She’s afraid of being seen. She’s in the upstairs closet and I know you have trouble with stairs.”

“They're surely not my favorite thing.”

“But if you help I’ll bring you snacks for a little while so you won't have to walk so much. And I’ll let you lay on my softest blanket so you’ll be comfy.”

“You're very kind, Penelope.”

“I just love you…I don't mind doing it.”

“Alright, I’ll go upstairs. It’s not that bad it’s just when you're my age its best not to do all the things you used it. Its not that you can't anymore, it’s just that you shouldn’t.”

“Oh OK.”

She didn’t quite understand what that meant but was happy Gideon said yes. Not that he ever said no to her. Penelope just made sure not to ask too much of him because he liked to rest and relax. They went into the house together and up the back stairs since they were in the kitchen. Gideon seemed to do OK on the stairs; soon they were in front of the closet.

“Emily?”

“Who's there?”

“It’s Gideon.”

She poked her head out from amongst the stuff in there like the vacuum box, suitcases, and old blankets. It was a little dusty in there. No doubt her allergies would flare up soon.

“Penelope said you were going to run away.”

“I just want to run before I get dumped. I heard the humans talking; the male is going to take me to the vet. I think that means he’s going to dump me. I gotta get out of here before I let that happen.”

“He's not going to dump you. The vet is the doctor.” Gideon said.

“Why would he take me to the doctor?” Emily asked. “And what kind of doctor is it? Oh my God, is it the place where they give you the gas and no one ever sees you again?”

“Absolutely not.” Gideon shook his head. He could feel the black cat’s fear and didn’t know if he would be able to make her feel better. He would tell her what he knew. What she chose to do with the information Gideon couldn’t control. “A vet is a pet doctor. We go there to make sure we’re not sick. Sometimes they give you shots but its only for good, I promise.”

“Why would he take me there?” Emily repeated.

“I assume so that you can stay with the family. But the male human, whose name is Sam by the way; he just wants to make sure you’re healthy. He wants to make sure you don’t have anything bad like heartworm that you could pass to us and we could get sick. This vet visit is for you and for us as well.”

“Well you won't have to be getting any shots.” Emily crossed her arms. “Is this legit?”

“It’s legit. Not many of us like the vet, but the one he takes me to is a nice man. He helps with my arthritis and makes all the exams as gentle as he can. If Sam is taking you to the vet it’s a good thing…he cares about your health.”

“Are you sure its not code for being dumped on the side of the road?”

“Yes.” Gideon nodded.

“I told you.” Penelope chirped. “These humans are nice.”

“There's one thing though.” Gideon said.

“Oh I knew it.” Emily sighed. “There's always one more thing isn’t there?”

“When we go to the vet we have to get in the kitty carrier.”

“What the hell is a kitty carrier?”

“Its like a cage…it’s for our protection. We get in, ride in the car, and then they let us out at the doctor’s office.”

“Oh hell no, c'mon Gideon, that’s demeaning.”

“Its demeaning to have someone care for you?” he asked.

“It is if it involves getting in a cage.”

“It’s just for a ride. It’s similar to a seat that human babies ride in for protection.”

“Dogs never get in a cage in the car.” Emily said. “And I've never been in a kitty carrier, as you call it before. It doesn’t sound right.”

“I would never lie to you. You don’t trust me, I get it. You don’t have to since you don’t know me from Adam but…”

“Who's Adam?” Penelope asked.

“Shh, Penelope.”

“Look, the vet is OK, the kitty carrier is something you get used to, and these two humans are nice people who love their pets. They took you in no questions asked and you’ve been here for about 3 days. Taking you for a physical, which costs a lot of human money, means they care about you as a cat and want you to be OK. Someone who feels that way doesn’t put pets by the roadside. 

“I've been here a long time, so many seasons.” Gideon said. “I was here before the female human moved in, her name is Jessie. I belonged to the other Mr. Kassmeyer before he moved into the retirement apartment. They can't have pets there so Sam promised to care for me. He’s done a wonderful job. He's going to do the same for you.”

“If I get in a cage?” Emily asked.

“It’s just for a little while. And Sam usually gives me a treat for getting in with little trouble. Today is Sunday so he can't take you to the vet today…the doctor isn’t working. You can come out of the closet; it probably won't happen until tomorrow.”

“Are you sure? How do you know the names of days?”

“I'm old. If I don’t learn, what will I do?”

“Can you teach me the names of things and how to understand the humans?” Emily asked. “If I stay, will you teach me things?”

“Sure.” Gideon nodded. He always wanted to pass his knowledge along. Morgan, the dog, though a good dog didn’t need to know the things cats knew. The beagle pup down the street was a nice companion to talk to and quite smart. 

Gideon taught him a few things and would probably teach him even more. In the end though, leaving his knowledge and legacy for another cat was his true dream. He didn’t know if Emily Prentiss was that cat but he was willing to give it a try. “I'm not an easy teacher.”

“You'll find I'm not an easy student either.”

“Alright.” He managed a smile. “I'm going to return to my sunshine now. Relax a little and know that things will be OK.”

“OK.” She still didn’t quite believe him, and visions of the kitty carrier were already freaking her out, but Emily was tired. Being afraid again after a few days of relative calm had nearly drained her. She needed a long nap. “Where can I go for undisturbed sleep. I feel like I need to sleep for days.”

“I go under the bed in the guest room when I want full privacy.” Penelope said. “And the human male cleans it so it’s not dusty. You can go there if you want.”

“Where is the guest room?”

“All the way in the back.” Penelope pointed with her paw. “Are you OK Emily?”

“I'm good.” She nodded. “I have a lot to think about and I need to do that.” she looked at Gideon. “Thank you for speaking with me and helping me understand.”

“You're welcome. I'm going to finish my nap as well. Ladies.”

“Thanks Gideon.” Penelope said. “See ya later!”

“What are you going to do right now, Penelope?” Emily asked as she started walking down the hall. 

The plush carpet felt so good on her paws. This really was a nice house. Not trusting humans, at least fully, was still her best bet. But after just a few days she was getting used to the nice surroundings. It wasn’t palatial but it didn’t need to be. It just needed to be safe.

“Morgan’s probably back from his run. After he has some water and lays down I'm gonna climb all over him. It’s a good way to spend sunshine time. He owes me anyway.”

“What does he owe you for?”

“He's going to bark at the moon later and cats aren’t invited so I can't go. I’ll have to give him extra attention during sunshine time.”

“Good plan Penelope.” Emily smiled some. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

“You sure will. Have a good nap Emily.”

***


End file.
